DIOCESE OF DES MOINES ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS READING – LITERATURE GRADE – SIXTH GRADE KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS: Students will be able to: 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. 2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. 3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. A sixth grade student will: 1. Read on‐level text, both silently and orally, at an appropriate rate with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. 2. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 3. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. 4. Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution. 5. Employ the full range of research‐based comprehension strategies, including making connections, determining importance, questioning, visualizing, making inferences, summarizing, and monitoring for comprehension. CRAFT AND STRUCTURE: Students will be able to: 1. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. 2. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to each other and the whole. 3. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. A sixth grade student will: 1. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone. 2. Analyze how a particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting, or plot. 3. Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text. INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS: Students will be able to: 1. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 2. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of evidence. 3. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or compare the approaches authors take. A sixth grade student will: 1. Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they "see" and "hear" when reading the text to what they perceive when they listen or watch. 2. Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres (e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics. RANGE OF READING AND LEVEL OF TEXT COMPLEXITY: Students will be able to: 1. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
A sixth grade student will: 1. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. DIOCESE OF DES MOINES ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS READING – INFORMATIONAL TEXT GRADE – SIXTH GRADE KEY IDEAS AND DETAILS: Students will be able to: 1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. 2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. 3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. A sixth grade student will: 1. Read on‐level text, both silently and orally, at an appropriate rate with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. 2. Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. 3. Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. 4. Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes). 5. Employ the full range of research‐based comprehension strategies, including making connections, determining importance, questioning, visualizing, making inferences, summarizing, and monitoring for comprehension. CRAFT AND STRUCTURE: Students will be able to: 1. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. 2. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text relate to each other and the whole. 3. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. A sixth grade student will: 1. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. 2. Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas. 3. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS: Students will be able to: 1. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 2. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of evidence. 3. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or compare the approaches authors take. A sixth grade student will: 1. Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue. 2. Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. 3. Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by and a biography on the same person). RANGE OF READING AND LEVEL OF TEXT COMPLEXITY: Students will be able to: 1. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
A sixth grade student will: 1. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. DIOCESE OF DES MOINES ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS ENGLISH ‐ WRITING GRADE – SIXTH GRADE TEXT TYPES AND PURPOSES: Students will be able to: 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well‐chosen details, and well‐structured event sequences. A sixth grade student will: 1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. 2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well–structured event sequences. PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF WRITING: Students will be able to: 1. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 2. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. 3. Use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others. A sixth grade student will: 1. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 2. With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. 3. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting. RESEARCH TO BUILD AND PRESENT KNOWLEDGE: Students will be able to: 1. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. 2. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism. 3. Draw evidence from literacy or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. A sixth grade student will: 1. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and refocusing the inquiry when appropriate. 2. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; assess the credibility of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and providing basic bibliographic information for sources. 3. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. RANGE OF WRITING: Students will be able to: 1. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences. A sixth grade student will: 1. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline–specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. DIOCESE OF DES MOINES ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS ENGLISH – SPEAKING AND LISTENING GRADE – SIXTH GRADE COMPREHENSION AND COLLABORATION: Students will be able to: 1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on each other’s ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. 2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. 3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric. A sixth grade student will: 1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one–on–one, in groups, and teacher–led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion. b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, set specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed. c. Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion. d. Review the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing. 2. Interpret information presented in diverse media and formative and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study. 3. Delineate a speaker’s argument and specific claims, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. PRESENTATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND IDEAS: Students will be able to: 1. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. 2. Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations. 3. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. A sixth grade student will: 1. Prepare and conduct interviews. 2. Participate in public performances. 3. Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. 4. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information. 5. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. DIOCESE OF DES MOINES ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS ENGLISH ‐ LANGUAGE GRADE – SIXTH GRADE CONVENTIONS OF STANDARD ENGLISH: Students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. A sixth grade student will: 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Ensure pronouns are in the proper case (subjective, objective, possessive). b. Use intensive pronouns. c. Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person. d. Recognize and correct vague pronouns (i.e., ones with unclear antecedents). e. Recognize variations from standard English in their own and others’ writing and speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in conventional language. 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements. b. Spell correctly. KNOWLEDGE OF LANGUAGE: Students will be able to: 1. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. A sixth grade student will: 1. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. a. Vary sentence patters for meaning, reader/listener interest, and style. b. Maintain consistency in style/tone. VOCABULARY ACQUISITION AND USE: Students will be able to: 1. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple‐meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate. 2. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. 3. Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain‐specific words and phrases; demonstrate independence in gather vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression. A sixth grade student will: 1. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple‐meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies. a. Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. b. Use common grade‐appropriate affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word. c. Consult reference materials, both print and digital, to find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning or its part of speech. d. Verify the preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase. 2. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings. a. Interpret parts of speech in context. b. Use the relationship between particular words to better understand each of the words. c. Distinguish among the connotations of words with similar denotations (e.g., stingy/economical). 3. Acquire and use accurately grade‐appropriate general academic and domain‐specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.